A dominatrix (plural dominatrices or dominatrixes) or mistress is a woman who takes the dominant role in bondage and discipline, dominance and submission or BDSM.
As fetish culture has become more prevalent in Western media, depictions of dominatrices in film and television have become more common.
In film YearCountryTitle Notes 1962 United States The Counterfeit Traitor Ingrid Van Bergen is a leather-clad dominatrix/resistance fighter in WWII yarn. 1963 United States The Balcony Actress Ruby Dee plays out a dominatrix scene for a judge/client. 1964 United States Olga's House of Shame, White Slaves of Chinatown, Olga's Girls Trilogy of sexploitation films, all from 1964, with Audrey Campbell as Olga, sadistic mistress of a white slavery ring. 1967 United States Venus in Furs Sexploitation film directed by Joseph Marzano loosely based on the novella by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch. 1969 Italy Venus in Furs Based on the Sacher-Masoch story, directed by Massimo Dallamano. (Not to be confused with the Jess Franco horror film also from 1969.) 1969 United Kingdom The Magic Christian Raquel Welch makes a brief appearance as "Priestess of the whip". 1970 United States Myra Breckinridge (film) Raquel Welch plays a transgender female supremacist with an agenda in this widely panned sexploitation piece that includes an early (simulated) depiction of pegging in cinema. 1975 France Histoire d'O (The Story of O) The character of Anne-Marie, played by Christiane Minazzoli, is a lesbian dominatrix with a small harem of women. 1976 France Maîtresse Gérard Depardieu becomes involved with dominatrix Bulle Ogier. 1978 United States, United Kingdom Revenge of the Pink Panther Tanya The Lotus Eater (Valerie Leon), a catsuit-clad, whip-wielding dominatrix, chases Chief Inspector Jacques Clouseau (Peter Sellers) – who is dressed in women's clothing — through his apartment. 1982 United States Eating Raoul Housewife plays Doris the Dominatrix at a swingers' parties and coaches Mary Woronov's character. 1983 Germany A Woman in Flames Gudrun Landgrebe portrays a woman who becomes a dominatrix. 1983 United States Working Girls Filmmaker Lizze Borden's movie shows a day in life of a small Manhattan bordello, including a domination scene. 1985 Germany Seduction: The Cruel Woman Inspired by Venus in Furs, this is a study of a dominatrix who takes on both male and female slaves. 1986 UK Sid and Nancy Nancy works with a dominatrix 1987 UK Personal Services Lots of different scenes 1992 Japan Tokyo Decadence Miho Nikaido portrays a timid call girl who does a kinky session with a male client and female dominatrix. 1992 United States Body of Evidence Madonna portrays a dominatrix who seduces and sexually humiliates her lawyer. 1992 United States Batman Returns The character Catwoman who is played by Michelle Pfeiffer wears a skin-tight latex catsuit and wields a long whip. 1994 United States Exit to Eden Comedy with Dana Delany as the dominatrix co-founder of an S&M resort and Iman (model) as another prominent dominatrix at the resort. 1994 United States Naked Gun : The Final Insult A dominatrix, played by Julie Strain, works at the fertility clinic that Frank goes to. 1994 United Kingdom Love and Human Remains Mia Kirshner plays Benita, a psychic dominatrix. 1995 The Netherlands Venus in Furs Faithful adaptation of the Sacher-Masoch novella. 1995 United States Batman Forever The villain Two-Face has two gun molls named Sugar and Spice. Spice is a dominatrix who wears a black leather corset and represents his "bad" side, while Sugar wears a white laced corset and represents his "good" side. (But both girls are very evil.) 1996 United States Fetishes A documentary by Nick Broomfield filmed at New York City's Pandora's Box, an SM/fetish parlour. 1996 United States Barb Wire (film) Pamela Anderson plays a female bounty hunter and mercenary in post-apocalyptic America who during one scene poses as a prostitute clad in dominatrix attire in order to capture a wanted criminal. She also wears many revealing skin-tight leather outfits throughout the movie. 1997 United Kingdom Preaching to the Perverted Comedy with Guinevere Turner as the dominatrix owner of a notorious English S&M club. 1997 United States Booty Call A scene towards the end of the movie where Vivica A. Fox dresses up as a dominatrix and prepares to have sex with Jamie Foxx who is tied to a bed in a gimp outfit. 1998 United States Bride of Chucky Jennifer Tilly plays the girlfriend of the serial killer Chucky who is trapped inside a doll's body. During one scene she ties a man down to a bed in handcuffs and does a sexy dance for him in a dominatrix outfit so that she can lure Chucky into murdering him. 1999 United States Body Shots Emily Procter plays a dominatrix who binds and paddles Ron Livingston. 1999 United States Payback Lucy Liu portrays a sadistic dominatrix who is the leader of a gang of Chinese Triads.1999 United States The General's Daughter Leslie Stefanson's character is shown on a tape watched by John Travolta's character as having acted the role of a dominatrix with a male partner 2000 United States Dancing at the Blue Iguana Jennifer Tilly plays a stripper in S&M outfits and part-time dominatrix seen in an extensive scene bullying a male client. 2000 United States Charlie's Angels Lucy Liu plays a Charlie's Angels member who goes undercover as an office supervisor with a dominatrix personality. 2001 United States Tomcats Heather Stephens plays an "innocent librarian" who turns out to be a lifestyle dominatrix. She then proceeds to torture Michael, played by Jerry O'Connell. 2002 United States The Fashionistas Award-winning pornographic film from Evil Angel that explores the world of fetish fashion, BDSM, and kinky sex. 2003 United States American Wedding During a bachelor party there is a scene involving two strippers: one dressed like a dominatrix police woman and the other dressed like a French maid. 2004 United States Bettie Page: Dark Angel Biopic that recreates many of her sub/dom fetish films for Irving Klaw. 2004 United States Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story Due to a mix-up with the uniforms they ordered, a dodgeball team shows up to a match wearing S&M outfits. Christine Taylor's character is dressed as a dominatrix. 2004 United Kingdom The Dominatrix Drama about the life of a career Dom. 2004 United States EuroTrip Comedy with Lucy Lawless as a German dominatrix in an Amsterdam S&M club. 2004 United States Going Under Drama about the relationship between a married man and a partnered dominatrix. 2005 United States Reefer Madness Kristen Bell is seen as a dominatrix while singing "Little Mary Sunshine". 2005 United States Mr. & Mrs. Smith Angelina Jolie's character poses as a dominatrix to assassinate a target. 2005 United States Bettie Page: Bondage Queen Cult Epics DVD compilation of Irving Klaw's 1950s BDSM fetish films featuring Bettie Page as both dominatrix and damsel-in-distress. 2006 United States Shortbus Comedy-drama featuring the professional dominatrix Severin, played by Lindsay Beamish, who wants to help Sofia to loosen up sexually so that she can have her first orgasm. 2006 Germany Hounded (:de:Verfolgt (2006)) A middle-aged female probation officer enters a dominant relationship with one of the young male delinquents she works with. 2007 Canada Walk All Over Me Comedy-drama with Tricia Helfer as a professional dominatrix. 2007 Japan New Tokyo Decadence - The Slave Dominatrix turned secretary is blackmailed into being an S&M slave by her boss. 2009 United States Modern Love is Automatic A bored nurse moonlights as a dominatrix for hire. 2009 United States Brüno A homosexual Austrian fashion reporter has an experience with a dominatrix. 2009 United States Frat Party A frat party, has an extended scene in the frat house "dungeon" with a dominatrix. 2009 United States My Normal The story of Natalie, a young lesbian, who's struggling to find a balance between her dreams of becoming a film maker and her lifestyle as a dominatrix. 2012 United States American Reunion Michelle dresses up as a dominatrix and makes her husband Jim dress up as a gimp so that they can have "romantic" sex. 2012 France After Fall, Winter Michael is having a mid-life crisis, with his writing career in tatters. He leaves New York for Paris, hoping to reinvigorate his writing. He meets a nurse with a secret; she also works as a professional dominatrix.2013FranceVenus in FurVanda Jordan arrives at an audition for a play with the director though her name does not appear on the audition list. As the audition moves forward Vanda accuses him of having masochistic desirs though he denies it. By the end of the movie he becomes her slave. 2013 Japan R100 Ordinary businessman Takafumi Katayama signs a contract to join a mysterious BDSM club where various dominatrices, each with their own specialty skill, will attack and humiliate him in public. The contract lasts for one year and no cancellation is allowed. 2014 Australia My Mistress A teenage boy struck by a family tragedy sparks a relationship with a French middle aged professional dominatrix. 2019 Finland Dogs Don't Wear Pants Mona (Krista Kosonen) is a professional dominatrix who introduces Juha (Pekka Strang) to the world of BDSM. He becomes obsessed with her and wants to use BDSM sessions as a therapeutic method to overcome his wife's death.
In television